You can pretty much tell a Carnegie library just by taking a gander at it- even if it is not being used as one anymore. We have seen them everywhere in towns across the United States. I suppose you could say they were one of the first “chain/franchise” buildings to pop up. The symmetry, the entrance, the basement being enough above ground level to provide much natural light – they might be considered the “golden arches” of their day, although they provided food for the mind.

Subdued and dignified buildings, they were a comfortable haven, a welcoming place – where knowledge was available to all.

The building in Kendallville, located at 124 E. Rush Street, was one; I knew it the moment I drove by when I moved here in 1995. At that time Joe Rowe’s law firm was in residence.

Now it is home to the architectural firm of Terwilliger & LaCluyse. Richard Terwilliger and his wife, Patty, kindly let me come in and take some pictures and Dick Terwilliger told me a little bit about  how he became interested in the building.

Speaking about the church kitty-corner to the old library – Trinity Methodist, he notes that his firm used to be headquartered in Fort Wayne and says, “We were hired to design an education wing and fellowship hall and while we were working on that, I would attend job meetings once a week and did notice this building. I thought it would be kind of a neat place to have an office – and a whole lot closer to home.

“We approached the attorneys and they agreed to lease the lower level and that’s what we did.” That was in 1996. “We were down there for five or six years and enjoyed it and the opportunity came to buy  . . . (in 2002)“

They have not regretted it.

Andrew Carnegie started funding these libraries in 1886 and continued to do so until 1917. The one here was built in 1913 – the cornerstone laid on July 19th – which means the money needed to construct it came from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a foundation started in 1911. Previous to that time, Carnegie had personally funded the libraries.

The funding came with guidance. Carnegie was – to say the least – a sharp businessman with an eye to efficiency and fundamentally sound construction that would mesh with an economy of maintenance.

Terwilliger can verify the latter. The previous owners had lowered the ceilings in the rooms now used for offices from the original 12-foot height that is still maintained in the central entrance area. This makes the space more intimate and, of course, is less area to heat and cool. Indeed, Terwilliger says, “It heats well and it cools well,” but he gives credit to the building’s structure when he adds, “obviously (it would be) with all the mass in the walls.”

From 1903 until 1911, Carnegie’s personal secretary, James Bertram individually reviewed all the plans for each and every library built with Carnegie money. He then wrote a pamphlet that he called “Notes on the Erection of Library Buildings” and gave it to officials in each town that received a grant for a library.

Obviously, architectural firms that had experience in the design of Carnegie libraries caught the eye of towns awarded Carnegie grants, so many of the libraries did have the imprint of the same architect. In Indiana, Clifford Shopbell and Wilson B. Parker headed two firms that were often consulted, if not engaged, in the design of the library. (Whether they worked on the Carnegie Library in Kendallville is not known (by me) at this time.)

As noted above, Carnegie wanted the libraries to be efficient and sought comments from actually working librarians. He wanted one librarian to be able to oversee the entire library. To this end, Carnegie’s suggestion to architects was a one-story building without full-height interior partitions. The bookcases lined the perimeter walls and so the librarian, seated at the check-out desk in the center could see pretty much everything that was going on.

That high counter/desk is still visible at the Kendallville building, complete with the built in tall slot for the librarian’s stool. Her post was directly opposite the library clock, which remains, having ticked off thousands and thousands of “whispered” minutes.

One important change in library procedure in the Carnegie library was that patrons where able to get books off the shelves for themselves. Another change – which opened many doors to education – allowed children to participate; previously, most libraries had been “adult” affairs. Almost every Carnegie library included a children’s reading room.

Carnegie provided for good-sized basements, in which staff rooms, public meeting rooms, restrooms and the furnace were located.

Terwilliger refers to Carnegie’s guidelines and says, “He wanted natural light in the basements – just about all of them are a half level down. He liked a lot of detail in the masonry and in this particular one, with the brackets holding up the front porch, the ironwork is fabulous; you don’t see that on too many other Carnegie libraries.

“Detail was important – architecture and design were very important to Carnegie. Symmetry was very important.”

Talking of the roof, Terwilliger adds,  “The long overhang was pretty typical of the Carnegie design library – its purpose being to keep the sun from coming through (too strongly) and you don’t need window treatments.

Asked about working in the building, he answers, “It’s very comfortable; the scale of it is nice; and I just like the look of it.” He pauses and adds, “I think of all the Carnegie libraries in the area, this is one of my favorites . . . There is a lot of value in recycling these old buildings.”